The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)  yesterday called the importation of sugar “most unfortunate” saying that the outgoing Booker Tate management at GuySuCo owes the nation an objective explanation for the current poor state of the industry.

GAWU blamed the low sugar production level last year as the reason behind Guyana having to resort to importing sugar from Guatemala, and declared that GuySuCo has come full circle, “back to the years 1988-1991 when the sugar production slumped to an average of 155,440 tonnes and the importation of brown sugar was inevitable”.

In a statement the union pointed to some findings that had emerged on the operation of the estates, noting that neglect that had been discovered on those estates needs to be addressed urgently by the recently appointed incoming board of directors at GuySuCo.

GAWU noted that the five-man Commission of Enquiry into the operation of the East Demerara Estate reported last December, among other things, that “it finds it rather disappointing that the Estate was allowed to decline to such a state without urgent remedial action being taken, especially since both the Corporation’s Head Office and the Agriculture Research Centre are sited in East Demerara Estates.”  It added that a number of pictures accompanying the report depict cane fields which are heavily infested with Thanner Grass, Anti-Desma and other weeds. Further, GAWU said that a few years ago a three- man Commission of Enquiry found Uitvlugt Estate in a serious state of neglect, adding that it was reported that the Corporation’s Chief Executive mandated the closure of that Estate although this was not the official policy of the Corporation. According to the union, resources have to be found to restore the Estate’s production to the levels of past years.

GAWU noted its optimism for the recovery of the industry saying that it is of the strong view that GuySuCo has the potential to rebound and declared that possibilities exist for the industry to once again move its production to 300,000 tonnes by the end of next year.

Additionally, it stated that corrective measures would result in the new Skeldon Factory becoming functional not later than April this year.  The new factory should have been in place for the second crop last year but start-up problems prevented this. It was also not ready at the start of the first crop this year.

GAWU said that thousands of sugar workers and their many thousands of dependents need GuySuCo. The union said that it is willing to do its part while recognising that fair treatment of workers is a necessary requirement for the industry to again be robust. cording to the union, the growth in the country’s economy will be assured with the sugar industry becoming stable and viable once again.